U.S. patent application number 13/070992 was filed with the patent office on 2012-09-27 for sim card module and interface for external installation to provide broadband to a customer premises.
This patent application is currently assigned to Verizon Patent and licensing Inc.. Invention is credited to Sergio AGUIRRE, Kamlesh S. Kamdar, Raafat Edward Kamel, Lalit Ratilal Kotecha.
Application Number | 20120243159 13/070992 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46877177 |
Filed Date | 2012-09-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120243159 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
AGUIRRE; Sergio ; et
al. |
September 27, 2012 |
SIM CARD MODULE AND INTERFACE FOR EXTERNAL INSTALLATION TO PROVIDE
BROADBAND TO A CUSTOMER PREMISES
Abstract
An outdoor broadband unit may be connected to an external
portion of a customer premises. The outdoor broadband unit may
include a radio frequency (RF) antenna to receive communications
from a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network and a printed wiring
board. The printed wiring board may include an integrated circuit
(IC) chip to implement a subscriber identity module (SIM) to
provide services for the LTE network. The IC chip may be soldered
to the printed wiring board and have a rated temperature range
corresponding to an industrial grade or military grade integrated
circuit. The IC chip may provide authentication services for the
SIM using a hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) connection.
The printed wiring board may further include a control module to
implement an air interface for the LTE network. A radome may
contain the RF antenna and the printed wiring board.
Inventors: |
AGUIRRE; Sergio; (Southlake,
TX) ; Kamel; Raafat Edward; (Little Falls, NJ)
; Kamdar; Kamlesh S.; (Dublin, CA) ; Kotecha;
Lalit Ratilal; (San Ramon, CA) |
Assignee: |
Verizon Patent and licensing
Inc.
Basking Ridge
NJ
|
Family ID: |
46877177 |
Appl. No.: |
13/070992 |
Filed: |
March 24, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
361/679.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01Q 1/1221 20130101;
H01Q 25/002 20130101; H01Q 19/102 20130101; H01Q 21/28 20130101;
H04W 4/60 20180201; H04L 12/2834 20130101; H04W 12/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
361/679.4 |
International
Class: |
G06F 1/16 20060101
G06F001/16; G06F 1/20 20060101 G06F001/20 |
Claims
1. A system comprising: an outdoor broadband unit connected to an
external portion of a customer premises, the outdoor broadband unit
including: a radio frequency (RF) antenna to receive communications
from a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, a printed wiring board
including: an integrated circuit (IC) chip to implement a
subscriber identity module (SIM) to provide services for the LTE
network, the IC chip being soldered to the printed wiring board and
having a rated temperature range corresponding to an industrial
grade or military grade integrated circuit, the IC chip providing
authentication services for the SIM using a hypertext transfer
protocol secure (HTTPS) connection, and a control module to
implement an air interface for the LTE network, and a radome to
contain the RF antenna and the printed wiring board, and a
satellite antenna to receive communications from a satellite
network; and a support arm to hold the outdoor broadband unit and
the satellite antenna.
2. The system of claim 1, where the IC chip is coupled to the
control module via a peripheral component interconnect (PCI)
interface.
3. The system of claim 1, where the outdoor broadband unit further
includes: a heat shield located between the RF antenna and the
printed wiring board.
4. The system of claim 1, where the IC chip is soldered to the
printed wiring board using surface mount technology.
5. The system of claim 1, where the control module includes an
insertable card and where the printed wiring board further
includes: a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) connection slot
to hold the insertable card.
6. The system of claim 1, where the authentication provided by the
IC chip includes an authentication using an Internet protocol (IP)
multimedia services identity module (ISIM) application or an
universal subscriber identity module (USIM) application.
7. The system of claim 1, where the printed wiring board further
includes: a coaxial network controller to provide an interface for
Ethernet over coaxial signals.
8. The system of claim 1, where the rated temperature range of the
IC chip is at least between -40 and 85 degrees Celsius.
9. A device, comprising: a radio frequency (RF) antenna to receive
communications from a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network; a printed
wiring board including: a subscriber identity module (SIM) chip to
provide services for the LTE network, the SIM chip being soldered
to the printed wiring board and having a rated temperature range
corresponding to an industrial grade or military grade, the SIM
chip providing authentication services with the LTE network using a
hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) connection, a control
module to implement an air interface for the LTE network, and an
antenna port to connect to the RF antenna; and a heat shield
located between the RF antenna and the printed wiring board.
10. The device of claim 9, further comprising: a radome to contain
the RF antenna, the printed wiring board, and the heat shield.
11. The device of claim 9, where the SIM chip is coupled to the
control module via a peripheral component interconnect (PCI)
interface.
12. The device of claim 9, where the SIM chip is soldered to the
printed wiring board using surface mount technology.
13. The device of claim 9, where the control module includes an
insertable card and where the printed wiring board further
includes: a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) connection slot
to hold the insertable card.
14. The device of claim 9, where the authentication provided by the
SIM chip includes authentication using an Internet protocol (IP)
multimedia services identity module (ISIM) application or an
universal subscriber identity module (USIM) application.
15. The device of claim 9, where the printed wiring board further
includes: a coaxial network controller to provide an interface for
Ethernet over coaxial signals.
16. The device of claim 9, where the rated temperature range of the
SIM chip is at least between about -40 degrees Celsius and about 85
degrees Celsius.
17. A system comprising: an outdoor broadband unit to connect to an
external portion of a customer premises, the outdoor broadband unit
including: a radio frequency (RF) antenna to receive communications
from a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) network, a subscriber identity
module (SIM) chip to provide services for the LTE network, the SIM
chip having a rated temperature range of at least between -40 and
85 degrees Celsius, the SIM chip providing authentication services
for the LTE network using a hypertext transfer protocol secure
(HTTPS) connection, a control module to implement an air interface
for the LTE network, a coaxial network controller to provide an
interface for Ethernet over coaxial signals that are exchanged with
the customer premises, and a radome to contain the RF antenna, the
SIM chip, the control module, and the coaxial network controller;
and a satellite antenna to receive communications from a satellite
network; and a support arm to hold the outdoor broadband unit and
the satellite antenna.
18. The system of claim 17, where the SIM chip is coupled to the
control module via a peripheral component interconnect (PCI)
interface.
19. The system of claim 17, where the SIM chip, the control module,
and the coaxial network controller are disposed on a printed wiring
board.
20. The system of claim 19, where the SIM chip is soldered to the
printed wiring board using surface mount technology.
21. The system of claim 17, where the outdoor broadband unit
further includes: a heat shield located within the radome and
between the RF antenna and the SIM chip, the control module, and
the coaxial network controller.
22. The system of claim 17, where the authentication provided by
the SIM chip includes authentication using an Internet protocol
(IP) multimedia services identity module (ISIM) application or an
universal subscriber identity module (USIM) application.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Bundled media services (e.g., combination packages of
television, telephone, and broadband Internet services) have been
successfully offered to households with wired connections to
service provider networks. Households in areas without such wired
connections (e.g., customers in regions that cannot be reached via
conventional communication media, such as optical cables, copper
cables, and/or other fixed wire-based technologies) may rely on
fixed wireless services for some of these services (e.g., broadband
access). However, previous generations of fixed wireless services
have generally been unsuccessful. Expensive network equipment and
customer premises equipment (CPE), high CPE installation costs, use
of proprietary technology, and low data rates are among some of the
reasons these fixed wireless services remained unpopular.
[0002] Portions of the CPE for fixed wireless networks may be
installed outdoors, such as on the roof of the customer premises.
Outdoor installations can subject the CPE to harsher environmental
conditions than indoor installations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example environment in which
systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented;
[0004] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example customer premises network
illustrated in FIG. 1 according to an implementation described
herein;
[0005] FIG. 3 is a diagram of example components of an outdoor
portion of the customer premises network depicted in FIG. 2;
[0006] FIG. 4 is a perspective diagram illustrating an example
implementation of an outdoor broadband unit;
[0007] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of components
that may be installed on a printed wiring board in the outdoor
broadband unit;
[0008] FIG. 6 is a diagram of example components of one or more of
the devices depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2; and
[0009] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating conceptual aspects relating
to a subscriber identity module.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0010] The following detailed description refers to the
accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different
drawings may identify the same or similar elements.
[0011] Systems and/or methods described herein may provide a
customer premises equipment (CPE) wireless architecture. Combined
gateway equipment for the CPE architecture may include satellite
and radio frequency (RF) antennas that are mounted (e.g., on a
roof) at the customer premises. The combined gateway equipment may
include an outdoor broadband unit through which a broadband
connection to a wireless terrestrial network, such as a Long-Term
Evolution (LTE) network, may be established. The outdoor broadband
unit may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) that is
permanently fixed to the outdoor broadband unit, such as via
soldering of the SIM to printed circuit board. The SIM may
additionally be hardened to withstand high and low temperatures
that may occur in the outdoor installation.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example environment 100 in which
systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented. As
illustrated, environment 100 may include a customer premises
network 110, combined gateway equipment 115, a base station 120, a
network 130, a service provider 140, and a satellite network 150. A
single customer premises network 110, base station 120, network
130, service provider 140, and satellite network 150 have been
illustrated in FIG. 1 for simplicity. In practice, there may be
more customer premises networks 110, combined gateways 115, base
stations 120, networks 130, service providers 140, and/or satellite
networks 150.
[0013] Customer premises network 110 may include one or more
devices connected to each other, base station 120, and/or satellite
network 150. Devices in customer premises network 110 may include,
for example, set-top boxes (STBs), televisions, computers, and home
networking equipment (e.g., routers, cables, splitters, local
gateways, etc.). Devices within customer premises network 110 may
be connected via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, Telecommunications
Industry Association category 5 ("cat 5") cable, etc.) or wireless
connections (e.g., using network devices such as those available
under the IEEE 802.11 wireless LAN standards). In the example shown
in FIG. 1, customer premises network 110 may connect to base
station 120 through a two-way wireless connection (e.g., using a
LTE band frequency) and may connect to satellite network 150
through a one-way (e.g., downlink) wireless connection (e.g., using
a satellite TV band frequency). The two-way wireless connection and
the one-way wireless connection may be implemented using combined
gateway equipment 115.
[0014] Combined gateway equipment 115, which is described in more
detail below, may generally include mechanisms for communicating
with satellite network 150 (to provide satellite-based
communications) and for communicating with base station 120 (to
provide terrestrial RF-based communications). Combined gateway
equipment 115 may connect, such as via a coaxial connection, to
devices inside of the customer premises, such as the devices
connected to customer premises network 110.
[0015] Base station 120 may include one or more computation and/or
communication devices that receive voice and/or data (e.g., video
content) from service provider 140 (e.g., via network 130) and
transmit that voice and/or data to customer premises network 110.
Base station 120 may also include one or more devices that receive
voice and/or data from customer premises network 110 and transmit
that voice and/or data to service provider 140 (e.g., via network
130). In one implementation, base station 120 may utilize LTE
standards operating in a 700 MHz frequency band.
[0016] Network 130 may include a local area network (LAN), a wide
area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a telephone
network, such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), an
intranet, the Internet, an optical fiber (or fiber optic)-based
network, a cable television network, a satellite television
network, or a combination of networks.
[0017] Service provider 140 may include one or more server devices,
or other types of computation or communication devices, that
gather, process, search, and/or provide information in a manner
described herein. In one implementation, service provider 140 may
include a web server, computer system, an application, a cable
head-end, and/or a broadcasting device capable of providing
Internet Protocol (IP)-based content and/or services to devices in
customer premises network 110.
[0018] Satellite network 150 may provide multimedia content from,
for example, a direct broadcast satellite (DBS) service provider
(not shown). Satellite network 150 may provide a downlink signal
over a designated satellite TV band frequency, typically in the
range of 950 MHz to 2150 MHz. The downlink signal may be received
using a satellite antenna/receiver system at the customer premises
to present satellite TV content to a user.
[0019] In implementations described herein, customer premises
network 110 may combine LTE functionality with satellite TV
service. Using combined gateway equipment 115, both broadband (over
LTE) service (e.g., via base station 120) and satellite TV service
(e.g., via satellite network 150) may be brought into customer
premises network 110 over a single coaxial line. This architecture
may reduce equipment installation time due to the use of a single
coaxial line for all the services. Both installation costs and
recurrent operational costs can be reduced.
[0020] While implementations herein are described primarily in the
context of broadband services via LTE, other wireless protocols may
be used. For example, components conforming to LTE standards
described herein may be replaced by components conforming to other
network protocols (e.g., Global System for Mobile Communications
(GSM), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), Ultra Mobile
Broadband (UMB), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS),
Code Division Multiple Access 2000 (CDMA2000), High-Speed Packet
Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access
(WiMax), etc.).
[0021] Although FIG. 1 shows example components of environment 100,
in other implementations, environment 100 may contain fewer
components, different components, differently arranged components,
and/or additional components than those depicted in FIG. 1.
Alternatively, or additionally, one or more components of
environment 100 may perform one or more other tasks described as
being performed by one or more other components of environment
100.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example customer premises network
110 according to an implementation described herein. As
illustrated, combined gateway equipment 115 of customer premises
network 110 may include an outdoor broadband unit 200 and a
satellite antenna 202. A coaxial cable 204 may connect combined
gateway equipment 115 to the indoor portion of customer premises
network 110. Customer premises network 110 may further include
coaxial splitters 210-1 and 210-2 (referred to herein collectively
as "coaxial splitters 210" or generically as "coaxial splitter
210"), a power injector 220, set-top boxes (STBs) 230-1 and 230-2
(referred to herein collectively as "STBs 230" or generically as
"STB 230"), televisions 240-1 and 240-2 (referred to herein
collectively as "televisions 240"), a coax/Cat 5 converter 250, a
local router 260, and user devices 270-1 and 270-2 (referred to
herein collectively as "user devices 270" or generically as "user
device 270"). One outdoor broadband unit 200, two coaxial splitters
210, one power injector 220, two STBs 230, two televisions 240, one
coax/Cat 5 converter 250, one local router 260, and two user
devices 270 have been illustrated in FIG. 2 for simplicity. In
practice, there may be more (or fewer) outdoor broadband units 200,
satellite antennas 202, coaxial splitters 210, power injectors 220,
STBs 230, televisions 240, coax/Cat 5 converters 250, local routers
260, and/or user devices 270.
[0023] Outdoor broadband unit 200 may include one or more data
processing devices and/or data transfer devices, such as a gateway,
a router, a modem, a switch, a firewall, a network interface card
(NIC), a hub, a bridge, a proxy server, an optical add-drop
multiplexer (OADM), or some other type of device that processes
and/or transfers data. In one example, outdoor broadband unit 200
may include a wireless gateway that provides a convergence point
between wireless protocols (e.g., associated with base station 120)
and IP protocols (e.g., associated with user devices 270). Outdoor
broadband unit 200 may be physically deployed with satellite
antenna 202 (e.g., on a roof or a side wall of a house associated
with customer premises network 110) as part of combined gateway
equipment 115. For example, outdoor broadband unit 200 may utilize
a pre-existing or a new satellite TV installation in a way that
both broadband (over LTE) service and satellite TV are brought
indoors (e.g., inside the customer premises) over coaxial cable
204.
[0024] Satellite antenna 202 may provide an interface for
television service broadcast from satellites. In one
implementation, satellite antenna 202 may provide an entry point
for a network (e.g., customer premises network 110) that conforms
to standards of the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA).
Generally, MoCA-compliant devices may be used to implement a home
network on existing coaxial cable, using, for example, orthogonal
frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation that divides data
into several parallel data streams or logical channels. Channel
stacking technology, such as Single Wire Multiswitch (SWiM)
technology, may be used to allocate logical channels using
frequency blocks for user-selected programming to the SWiM
compatible devices (e.g., STBs 230). Satellite antenna 202 may
communicate with STB 230 to identify which blocks of channels can
be used to send television signals to that particular STB 230.
[0025] Coaxial splitters 210 may include conventional splitting
technologies to filter LTE and satellite TV signals. In one
implementation, each coaxial splitter 210 may include a SWiM
splitter. For example, coaxial splitters 210 may facilitate
allocating logical channels using different frequency blocks for
viewer-selected television programming and broadband signals to the
SWiM-compatible STBs 230 and/or local router 260.
[0026] Power injector 220 may include a conventional mechanism for
injecting DC power in a coaxial cable to power remotely-located
devices, such as outdoor broadband unit 200. Use of power injector
220 may allow components of outdoor broadband unit 200 to be
powered via a coaxial cable (e.g., coaxial cable 204) and eliminate
the need for additional wiring.
[0027] STB 230 may include a device that receives and/or processes
video content (e.g., from a satellite TV provider via satellite
antenna 202), and provides the video content to television 240 or
another device. STB 230 may also include decoding and/or decryption
capabilities and may further include a digital video recorder (DVR)
(e.g., a hard drive). In one example implementation, STB 230 may be
incorporated directly within television 240. In another
implementation, STB 230 and/or television 240 may be replaced with
a computing device (e.g., a personal computer, a laptop computer, a
tablet computer, etc.), a cable card, a TV tuner card, or a
portable communication device (e.g., a mobile telephone or a
personal digital assistant (PDA)). In one implementation, STB 230
may conform to MoCA and SWiM standards.
[0028] Television 240 may include a television monitor that is
capable of displaying video content, television programming,
content provided by STB 230, and/or content provided by other
devices (e.g., a digital video disk (DVD) player, a video camera,
etc., not shown) connected to television 240. Coax-to-Cat 5
converter 250 may include a conventional device to convert incoming
signals from coaxial cables to outgoing signals on Cat 5
cables.
[0029] Local router 260 may include a device that may provide
connectivity between equipment within customer premises (e.g., user
devices 270) and between the customer premises equipment and an
external network (e.g., network 130). In one implementation, local
router 260 may include a wireless access point that employs one or
more short-range wireless communication protocols for a wireless
personal area network (WPAN) and/or a wireless local area network
(WLAN), such as, for example, IEEE 802.15 (e.g., Bluetooth) and
IEEE 802.11 (e.g., Wi-Fi). In other implementations, different
short-range wireless protocols and/or frequencies may be used.
Local router 260 may also include one or more wired (e.g.,
Ethernet) connections. In one implementation, local router 260 may
include a USB Ethernet Router that is capable of meeting LTE
quality of service (QoS) standards.
[0030] User device 270 may include any device that is capable of
communicating with customer premises network 110 via local router
260. For example, user device 270 may include a mobile computation
and/or communication device, such as a laptop computer, a
radiotelephone, a personal communications system (PCS) terminal
(e.g., that may combine a cellular radiotelephone with data
processing and data communications capabilities), a PDA (e.g., that
can include a radiotelephone, a pager, Internet/intranet access,
etc.), a wireless device, a tablet computer, a smart phone, a
global positioning system (GPS) device, a content recording device
(e.g., a camera, a video camera, etc.), etc. In another example,
user device 270 may include a fixed (e.g., provided in a particular
location, such as within a customer's home) computation and/or
communication device, such as a laptop computer, a personal
computer, a gaming system, etc.
[0031] Although FIG. 2 shows example components of customer
premises network 110, in other implementations, customer premises
network 110 may contain fewer components, different components,
differently arranged components, and/or additional components than
those depicted in FIG. 2. Alternatively, or additionally, one or
more components of customer premises network 110 may perform one or
more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other
components of customer premises network 110.
[0032] FIG. 3 is a diagram of example components of combined
gateway equipment 115 of customer premises network 110. As
illustrated, combined gateway equipment 115 may include outdoor
broadband unit 200 and satellite antenna 202. Outdoor broadband
unit 200 may include a radome 340 to house various components used
to enable a LTE broadband connection through base station 120.
Satellite antenna 202 may include features described above in
connection with, for example, FIGS. 1 and 2. Outdoor broadband unit
200 may be mounted on an extension arm 350 connected to a pole
supporting satellite antenna 202.
[0033] Radome 340 may provide a weatherproof enclosure to protect
the components, installed within radome 340, that enable network
connectivity to customer premises network 110. Generally, radome
340 may include any RF transparent structure that protects
components in the outdoor environment.
[0034] Combined gateway equipment 115 may be integrated with the
SWiM environment associated with satellite antenna 202 to provide
both TV services and broadband wireless services. With this
architecture, combined gateway equipment 115 may require only one
coax line leading from outdoor broadband unit 200/satellite antenna
202. This single coaxial line may feed the in-home coaxial
installation to deliver satellite TV service and LTE service to
corresponding STBs 230 and user devices 270 (e.g., as shown in FIG.
2). Coax cable 204 may also provide power to outdoor broadband unit
200.
[0035] Although FIG. 3 shows example components of combined gateway
equipment 115, in other implementations, combined gateway equipment
115 may contain fewer components, different components, differently
arranged components, and/or additional components than depicted in
FIG. 3. Alternatively, or additionally, one or more components of
combined gateway equipment 115 may perform one or more other tasks
described as being performed by one or more other components of
combined gateway equipment 115.
[0036] FIG. 4 is a perspective diagram illustrating an example
implementation of outdoor broadband unit 200. In FIG. 4, radome 340
is removed from outdoor broadband unit 200 to illustrate the inside
of outdoor broadband unit 200. Outdoor broadband unit 200 may
include an antenna 410, a heat shield 420, and a printed wiring
board (PWB) 430. PWB 430 may be installed in an enclosure at the
bottom of outdoor broadband unit 200. Heat shield 420 may be
installed on top of PWB 430, and may provide a heat barrier between
antenna 410 and PWB 430. Antenna 410 may be installed on top of
heat shield 420 and may be electrically connected to PWB 430.
[0037] Antenna 410 may include an antenna to transmit and/or
receive RF signals over the air. Antenna 410 may, for example,
receive RF signals from PWB 430 and transmit the RF signals over
the air. Also, antenna 410 may, for example, receive RF signals
over the air and provide them to PWB 430. In one implementation,
the components in PWB 430 may communicate, using antenna 410, with
a base station (e.g., base station 120) connected to a network
(e.g., network 130) to send and/or receive signals from user
devices 270.
[0038] In one implementation, antenna 410 may include a wideband
multiple beam antenna, with partially overlapping antenna beams,
spanning 360 degrees in azimuth (x-y plane). For example, antenna
410 may include between four and eight beams (e.g., to achieve
desirable antenna gains and reduction of interference).
Additionally, or alternatively, antenna 410 may employ two
polarizations per beam for 2.times.2 downlink multiple-input and
multiple-output (MIMO) operation.
[0039] In another implementation, antenna 410 may include a fixed
dually-polarized directional antenna. As a directional antenna,
antenna 410 may use polarizations matched to the polarizations of a
particular base station (e.g., base station 120). For example,
polarization of antenna 410 may be matched in polarization with a
serving enhanced Node B (eNB) or base station (e.g., base station
120). Antenna pointing for the directional antenna may be
conducted, for example, during installation of outdoor broadband
unit 200.
[0040] Heat shield 420 may define a barrier between antenna 410 and
PWB 430. Heat shield 420 may include, for example, a heat
insulating material. In some implementations, heat shield 420 may
also act as a RF shield to shield stray RF signals, produced by
components on PWB 430, from antenna 410.
[0041] PWB 430 may include a substrate that mechanically holds and
connects various electronic components that are installed onto PWB
430. PWB 430 may include, for example, a laminate structure that
routes signals between electronic components that are mounted on
PWB 430. Although described as a printed wiring board, PWB 430 may
be referred to as a printed circuit board (PCB), etched wiring
board, or printed circuit assembly (PCA).
[0042] Although FIG. 4 shows example components of outdoor
broadband unit 200, in other implementations, outdoor broadband
unit 200 may contain fewer components, different components,
differently arranged components, and/or additional components than
depicted in FIG. 4. Alternatively, or additionally, one or more
components of outdoor broadband unit 200 may perform one or more
other tasks described as being performed by one or more other
components of outdoor broadband unit 200.
[0043] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of components
that may be installed on PWB 430. PWB 430 may include a SIM module
510, a LTE module 520, a LTE module connector 530, a broadband home
router (BHR) 540, a coaxial network controller 550, and light
emitting diodes (LEDs) 560. PWB 430 may also include a number of
connectors to connect to external devices or systems, such as
customer premises network 110, antenna 410, and satellite antenna
202. The connectors shown in FIG. 5 may include universal serial
bus (USB) port(s) 570, coaxial port(s) 580, and antenna port(s)
590. The components shown in FIG. 5 may be implemented as
integrated circuits or other electronic components and illustrate
various functionality that may be included on PWB 430. For
simplicity, conductive traces connecting the components shown in
FIG. 5 are not illustrated.
[0044] SIM module 510 may include a SIM card or integrated circuit
(chip). In general, SIM module 510 may function to identify and
provide services, such as security services, to the subscriber,
associated with the customer premises, when connecting to the LTE
network through base station 120. SIM module 510 may contain, for
example, a unique serial number (ICCID), an internationally unique
number associated with customer premises network 110, security
authentication and ciphering information, and/or a list of the
services to which customer premises network 110 has access.
[0045] In one implementation, SIM module 510 may be fixedly
attached to PWB 430. For instance, SIM module 510 may be soldered
onto PWB 430. By fixedly attaching SIM module 510 to PWB 430, in
contrast to inserting SIM module 510 into a SIM slot typically used
for mobile phones, SIM module 510 can be securely and permanently
associated with PWB 430. Because outdoor broadband unit 200 may
have a relatively long expected service life (e.g., 10 years) and
may operate in relatively harsh outdoor climate conditions (e.g.,
high wind, extreme temperatures), fixedly attaching SIM module 510
to PWB 430 can improve the durability of outdoor broadband unit
200.
[0046] SIM module 510, in addition to being fixedly attached to PWB
430, may have a higher rated temperature range than SIM cards
typically used in consumer mobile phones. For example, SIM module
510 may be a military grade (e.g., rated to operate between -55 to
125 degrees Celsius) or an industrial grade (e.g., rated to operate
between -40 to 85 degrees Celsius) integrated circuit. Higher grade
integrated circuits may generally be characterized by different
manufacturing materials/techniques or more rigorous testing.
[0047] LTE module 520 may include hardware or a combination of
hardware and software having communication capability via an air
interface. In other words, LTE module 520 may be a control module
for the LTE air interface. For example, LTE module 320 may receive
broadband signals and/or voice over IP (VoIP) signals from base
station 120 (e.g., via antenna 410) and transmit broadband signals
and/or VoIP signals to base station 120 (e.g., via antenna 410).
LTE module 520 may employ frequency division duplex (FDD) and/or
time division duplex (TDD) techniques to facilitate downlink and
uplink transmissions. In one implementation, LTE module 520 may
include a beam selection mechanism that selects the best antenna
beam, from RF antenna 410, according to a certain optimization
criteria. Beam selection may be performed, for example, during
initial installation and/or regular maintenance of outdoor
broadband unit 200. Additionally, or alternatively, LTE module 520
may select any of the antenna beams, based on real-time
measurements, during normal operation. LTE module 520 may connect
to antenna 410 through antenna port(s) 590.
[0048] In one implementation, LTE module 520 may be manufactured as
an insertable card, such as a mini-PCI (peripheral component
interconnect) card that may be inserted into PWB 430. LTE module
connector 530 may include a slot, such as a PCI slot, into which
LTE module 520 may be inserted and connected to PWB 430.
[0049] BHR 540 may include logic for providing packet routing
and/or switching services for data received over or transmitted to
the LTE network via LTE module 520. BHR 540 may, for instance,
receive data packets from base station 120 (e.g., via LTE module
520) and forward the data packets toward user devices 270. In
addition, BHR 540 may receive data packets from user devices 270
(e.g., via local router 260) and forward the data packets toward
recipient devices (e.g., service provider 140) via network 130.
[0050] Coaxial network controller 550 may provide an interface for
Ethernet over coaxial signals, such as signals transmitted over
coaxial cable 204 and into customer premises network 110. Coaxial
network controller 540 may act as a bridge device to receive
signals from LTE module 520 and to convert the signals to an
Ethernet over coax signal. The Ethernet over coax signal may be
assigned a logical channel (e.g., according to SWiM guidelines) and
may be combined with coaxial input from satellite antenna 202. In
one implementation, the output from coaxial network controller 540
may be inserted in a Mid-RF MoCA channel that is separate from the
950 MHz to 2150 MHz range of a typical satellite TV system.
[0051] LEDs 560 may emit light to provide status and diagnostic
information relating to outdoor broadband unit 200. LEDs 560 may,
for example, include an LED that is illuminated when power is being
received, over coaxial cable 204, from customer premises network
110 (e.g., from power injector 220). In one implementation, one or
more of LEDs 560 may be installed so that the light emitting
portion of the LED is positioned externally to outdoor broadband
unit 200. In this manner, a technician installing outdoor broadband
unit 200 may be able to easily view the status of the LED.
[0052] PWB 430 may additionally include a number of output ports or
physical interfaces. USB port(s) 570 may include ports for
connecting to external devices through the USB serial communication
standard. USB port(s) 570 may, for example, be used for diagnostic
purposes, such as a port through which a technician can connect to
PWB 410. Alternatively or additionally, USB port(s) 570 may be used
to cross-connect various components of PWB 430. For example, BHR
540 and LTE module 520 may connect to one another through a USB
interface. Coaxial port(s) 580 may include an interface for coaxial
cables. As previously described, in one implementation, outdoor
broadband unit 200 may be connected to a coaxial cable leading to
satellite antenna 202 and a coaxial cable, coaxial cable 204,
leading to customer premises network 110. Coaxial network
controller 550 may provide a logical interface for coaxial port(s)
580. Antenna port(s) 590 may provide a physical connection to one
or more antennas, such as antenna 410. In one implementation,
antenna port(s) 590 may include a first connection to an RX
(receive) antenna and a second connection to an RX/TX
(receive/transmit) antenna.
[0053] Although FIG. 5 shows example components of PWB 430, in
other implementations, PWB 430 may contain fewer components,
different components, differently arranged components, and/or
additional components than depicted in FIG. 5. Alternatively, or
additionally, one or more components of PWB 430 may perform one or
more other tasks described as being performed by one or more other
components of PWB 430.
[0054] FIG. 6 is a diagram of example components of a device 600
that may correspond to one of the devices of environment 100 and/or
customer premises network 110 (e.g., SIM module 510, LTE module
520, BHR 540, coaxial network controller 550, local router 260,
etc.). As illustrated, device 600 may include a bus 610, a
processing unit 620, a memory 630, an input device 640, an output
device 650, and a communication interface 660.
[0055] Bus 610 may permit communication among the components of
device 600. Processing unit 620 may include one or more processors
or microprocessors that interpret and execute instructions. In
other implementations, processing unit 620 may be implemented as or
include one or more application specific integrated circuits
(ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or the like.
[0056] Memory 630 may include a random access memory (RAM) or
another type of dynamic storage device that stores information and
instructions for execution by processing unit 620, a read only
memory (ROM) or another type of static storage device that stores
static information and instructions for the processing unit 620,
and/or some other type of magnetic or optical recording medium and
its corresponding drive for storing information and/or
instructions.
[0057] Input device 640 may include a device that permits an
operator to input information to device 600, such as a keyboard, a
keypad, a mouse, a pen, a microphone, one or more biometric
mechanisms, and the like. Output device 650 may include a device
that outputs information to the operator, such as a display, a
speaker, etc.
[0058] Communication interface 660 may include any transceiver-like
mechanism that enables device 600 to communicate with other devices
and/or systems. For example, communication interface 660 may
include mechanisms for communicating with other devices, such as
other devices of environment 100 and/or customer premises network
110.
[0059] As described herein, device 600 may perform certain
operations in response to processing unit 620 executing software
instructions contained in a computer-readable medium, such as
memory 630. A computer-readable medium may be defined as a
non-transitory memory device. A memory device may include space
within a single physical memory device or spread across multiple
physical memory devices. The software instructions may be read into
memory 630 from another computer-readable medium or from another
device via communication interface 660. The software instructions
contained in memory 630 may cause processing unit 620 to perform
processes described herein. Alternatively, hardwired circuitry may
be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to
implement processes described herein. Thus, implementations
described herein are not limited to any specific combination of
hardware circuitry and software.
[0060] Although FIG. 6 shows example components of device 600, in
other implementations, device 600 may contain fewer components,
different components, differently arranged components, or
additional components than depicted in FIG. 6. Alternatively, or
additionally, one or more components of device 600 may perform one
or more other tasks described as being performed by one or more
other components of device 600.
[0061] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating conceptual aspects relating
to SIM module 510. SIM module 510 may be implemented as an
integrated circuit chip 720 that is securely attached to PWB 430.
Thus, SIM module 510 may be separately mounted from LTE module 520.
For example, SIM module 510 may be soldered via surface mount
soldering to PWB 430 (as illustrated by surface mount connections
730). Other techniques for attaching SIM module 510 to PWB 430 may
alternatively be used.
[0062] In one implementation, and as discussed previously,
integrated circuit chip 720 may be a military grade (e.g., rated to
operate between -55 to 125 degrees Celsius) or an industrial grade
(e.g., rated to operate between -40 to 85 degrees Celsius)
integrated circuit. Increasing the rated operating temperature
range of integrated circuit chip 720 may be beneficial in the
relatively harsh outdoor environment that may be experienced by
outdoor broadband unit 200.
[0063] SIM module 510 may include an operating system, shown as SIM
OS 740. SIM OS 740 may provide network access, authentication, and
billing services for customer premises network 110. SIM OS 740 may
additionally provide the ability for service provider 140 to
remotely manage SIM module 510 using over-the-air (OTA)
technologies. For example, service provider 140 may be able to
update SIM module 510 dynamically, providing new applications and
services without requiring a user of customer premises network 110
to manually upgrade.
[0064] In one implementation, SIM OS 740 may provide authentication
services for SIM module 510. The authentication services may
include authentication with service provider 140 based on an IP
multimedia services identity module (ISIM) application or an
universal subscriber identity module (USIM) application. Both the
ISIM or USIM authentication applications may be implemented over a
hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS) connection 750 (HTTPS
BASED CONN).
[0065] In one implementation, integrated circuit chip 720 may
communicate with other devices on PWB 430, such as LTE module 520,
via PCI interface 760. In alternative implementations, other
interface standards could be used.
[0066] The foregoing description of implementations provides
illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive
or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed.
Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above
teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention.
[0067] It will be apparent that example aspects, as described
above, may be implemented in many different forms of software,
firmware, and hardware in the implementations illustrated in the
figures. The actual software code or specialized control hardware
used to implement these aspects should not be construed as
limiting. Thus, the operation and behavior of the aspects were
described without reference to the specific software code--it being
understood that software and control hardware could be designed to
implement the aspects based on the description herein.
[0068] Further, certain portions of the invention may be
implemented as "logic" that performs one or more functions. This
logic may include hardware, such as an application specific
integrated circuit or a field programmable gate array, or a
combination of hardware and software.
[0069] Even though particular combinations of features are recited
in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these
combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of the
invention. In fact, many of these features may be combined in ways
not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the
specification. Although each dependent claim listed below may
directly depend on only one other claim, the disclosure of the
invention includes each dependent claim in combination with every
other claim in the claim set.
[0070] No element, act, or instruction used in the present
application should be construed as critical or essential to the
invention unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used
herein, the article "a" is intended to include one or more items.
Where only one item is intended, the term "one" or similar language
is used. Further, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "based,
at least in part, on" unless explicitly stated otherwise.
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